A former ward councillor Hakim Qureshi and three others were on Thursday produced before a court in Rajasthan's Ajmer where Qureshi was remanded to five-day police custody while the others were sent to jail for allegedly sexually exploiting girls and forcing them to convert their religion, a senior police officer said.
Tension has gripped the Beawar district, earlier a part of Ajmer, ever since nine Muslims have been arrested and three minors of the same community have been detained for the sensational crime which has shocked the state.
"Nine people have been arrested and three minors detained in the case. Four were presented before the court today. Three were sent to jail while one former ward councillor was taken on police remand," Ajmer IGP Om Prakash said.
He said it is the police's effort to arrest and have strict punishment awarded to all the accused, their accomplice, and those aiding, abetting, encouraging and giving them protection.
The entire case came to light about 10 days ago after Rs 2,000 went missing from the wallet of a minor's father and a Chinese mobile phone was recovered from her. Since then, the Bijainagar town of Beawar district and nearby areas have seen market shutdowns, rallies and escalated tension between Hindu and Muslim communities.
The minor's father questioned his daughter, who confessed to stealing the money to pay it to one of the accused. Her mother later found a phone in her daughter's school bag, which revealed that she was talking to a Muslim youth.
The girl's sister, also a minor, was later found to be in touch with another Muslim youth. The youths had made videos of their meetings and were blackmailing them to continue the relationship.
Three FIRs were registered at the Bijainagar police station last week against 10 men based on the complaints received from the family members of five victims. The medical examination report of the girls and the forensic lab report of the mobile are pending.
According to the police, the arrested accused work as labourers at businesses mostly owned by Hindus. The accused would waylay the girls on their way back from school and meet at a cabin cafe that charged Rs 200 per hour.
Even as the police have ruled out a bigger organised gang involved in the crime and are investigating all the aspects to arrest the accused, both Hindu and Muslim communities are living in fear.
Recently, Governor Haribhau Bagde had raised the matter, saying the girls were targeted as they were associated with a Hindu organisation and suggested the girls need not be afraid of the people who look at them with evil eyes. They should reply to a brick with a stone, he had added.
"You targeted the girls as they are with a Hindu organisation. Now this will not work as this is Bharat.
"Those who look at you with evil eyes, look them straight in the eye too. Reply to a brick with a stone. Those who got scared are in a different religion now. Those who didn't are Hindus today," Bagde had said.
After the incident, the families of the accused and the local Jama Masjid have got encroachment notices. A few of the encroachments were removed after the municipality detected some irregularities.
The Bijainagar Municipality has sent notices to the family members of the accused, the Jama Masjid and the local graveyard authorities seeking proof of ownership of the land on which they are situated. After this action, Muslims have sought legal help in the matter.
On Tuesday, a delegation of Muslims submitted a memorandum to the Beawar district collector regarding these notices and referred to the Supreme Court guidelines issued last year regarding demolitions. The collector subsequently directed the municipality not to move ahead with any demolitions.
Sadiq Qureshi, president of the Aam Muslim Samaj, said, "We do not support any criminal activity. If the youths have done any crime, they should be punished but why target their homes and mosques." Shammo Khan, a member of the Jama Masjid committee said, "The municipality itself had given funds to the mosque. Then how can this be illegal?" The executive officer of the municipality, Pratap Singh, said the notices were sent to check encroachment in the area and demolition action will be taken only after investigation and according to rules.
The family members of the arrested accused said they are continuously living in fear after the incident. Raeasa Bano, mother of Aashiq Mansuri (20), who was charged with conspiracy for having lent his bike to one of the accused, said, "Is it a crime to lend a bike to a friend?" Sadiq Qureshi, the brother of former municipal councillor of Bijainagar municipality Hakim Qureshi accused of being the mastermind of the alleged racket, said his brother is being targeted with a political conspiracy so that he can be prevented from contesting municipal election.
On the other hand, family members of the victim girls said the entire incident has maligned their image in society. The uncle of a victim said it has become difficult for the family to interact with other people.
"Justice should be served. Strict punishments should be given to the accused involved in the case. Otherwise, people with criminal mindsets will not learn a lesson," the mother of a victim said.
The matter was also raised in the ongoing session of the Rajasthan Assembly with the opposition Congress blaming the BJP government for failing to prevent such cases and demanding strict action against the culprits.
A similar incident had come to fore in 1992 in Ajmer where more than 100 girls were victimised by a gang. The gang members befriended the girls, clicked their photographs in compromising positions and later raped them.
There were 18 accused in the case. A Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Ajmer had sentenced some of the accused in the case to life imprisonment.
